If you’re relying on perineal massage to protect your pelvic floor during birth, I need to tell you this:

⚠️ It’s not enough.

Sure, perineal massage can increase tissue elasticity. But if you’re planning a hospital birth, the real risks for tearing have little to do with how "stretchy" your perineum is.

In fact, many 🏥 routine hospital practices actively increase your risk of injury, and no amount of perineal massage or warm compresses can prevent that.

If you want to protect your pelvic floor during birth, you need a plan that addresses both physical prep AND how to navigate hospital protocols.

Here’s why.

🔍 The Hidden Risks in Hospital Births (That Perineal Massage Won't Fix)

Most hospital birth teams want a quick, efficient birth. But that often means encouraging practices that work against your body's natural process and increase the likelihood of pelvic injury.

Here are three common situations you might face:

1. 🩺 Your Provider is the #1 Risk Factor for Tears

Yep, this one suprises most people. Research shows that your provider’s practices are the strongest predictor of whether you’ll experience a tear (or not). Some providers routinely perform episiotomies or push for aggressive delivery techniques that increase your risk, whether your body is ready or not.

A few good questions to ask include:

• "What is your approach to protecting the perineum during birth?"
• "How often do you perform episiotomies, and in what situations?"
• "What positions do you support for pushing?"
• "What % of your patients experience severe tears?"

2. 💥 "Purple Pushing"

This is when you’re coached to hold your breath and push as hard as possible. While it may speed up delivery, it also puts extreme pressure on your perineum, increasing the risk of tears, hemorrhoids, and pelvic trauma. In your birth plan, you may want to say:

• "I don't want to be coached to push."
• "I'd like to push on my own time in my own way unless I ask for support." 

3. 🚀 Forcing the Baby Out Too Quickly

If your baby moves through the birth canal too fast (often due to aggressive pushing or tools like forceps), your tissues can't adapt. This sudden stretch makes even a well-prepped perineum vulnerable to tearing. This is similar to the above point, but you may also want to add: 

• "I don't want anyone yelling "push."
• "I don't want to push or would like to decrease pushing when baby is crowning." 
• "I'd like to take my time, change my position if needed and breathe my baby out." 

Yes, all of this is possibly, even with an epidural!

Here’s the bottom line:

If perineal massage is your only strategy, you might feel prepared, but you’re still at risk for:

❌ Tears (and a longer recovery)

❌ More Interventions (someone "coaching you to push" or "stretching your perineum" during birth are interventions!) 

❌ A Disempowered Birth (where you feel things are happening to you, not with you)

But there’s a better way to prepare in pregnancy and a gentler way to birth baby, both of which are powerful ways to protect your vagina and pelvic floor 🙌

🛡️ How to Actually Protect Your Pelvic Floor (Before and During Birth)

Instead of focusing solely on perineal massage, you need a two-part approach:

1. 🏋️‍♀️ Physical Prep During Pregnancy: Exercises and techniques to train your pelvic floor to stretch, release, and move with your baby.

2. 📚 Hospital Navigation: Knowing how to advocate for yourself and avoid the routines that increase your risk of tearing.

In my Pelvic Floor Protection Plan, I teach you exactly how to do both.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

✨ Prenatal Exercises: Simple, effective movements to prepare your pelvic floor for a natural stretch, reducing your risk of trauma.

✨ Push the Right Way: How to push efficiently without unnecessary force, strain, or injury (no "purple pushing" here!).

✨ Advocate for Safer Birth Practices: Practical strategies to say "no" to harmful hospital norms and get the support your body needs.

And the results speak for themselves:

– Amanda, a real mom who used the Pelvic Floor Protection Plan

*Testimonial Disclosure

🚀 Your Next Step: Real Protection, Not Just Massage

You deserve to feel empowered and prepared for birth.

If you’re ready to go beyond perineal massage and get a step-by-step plan to protect your pelvic floor, this is it.